Meet Our Chef

About Chef Isabella Nicoletti

Chef Isabella Nicoletti is a native of Trissino, Italy, a small village outside of Vicenza in the Veneto region that dates back to the 14th century. As a young girl, she would accompany her papa in the woods in search of figs, chestnuts and fresh mushrooms and help her mamma and nonna in the kitchen. She loved to experiment with ingredients and from the age of eight, dreamed of becoming a chef. At fourteen, she began working in the kitchen at local restaurants as she began her informal training.

Her formal training began at the renown Istituto Alberghiero Professionale Di Stato/ Culinary Institute in Recoaro Terme, Italy. Upon graduation and for the preceding 12 years, she worked under many great Italian chefs at four different restaurants in Italy. Isabella’s artistic endeavor at the award-winning Paesano’s Restaurant in Ann Arbor, Michigan began in 1998 where she began her inspiring Italian cooking as Executive Chef.

Never forgetting the traditions of her Italian heritage, Isabella seasons her recipes with her cherished childhood memories of cooking with her family. The Paesano’s menu features the authentic, rustic dishes of Veneto, with the unique flair and flavor of Isabella.

Her charismatic style and unique culinary talents have made Isabella a sought after celebrity chef. She has made many public appearances and performed numerous cooking demonstrations both in the restaurant and at local retail establishments, including several Williams-Sonoma stores in the metro Detroit area. She has also appeared on FOX TV Detroit demonstrating her culinary craft and was featured in a weekly chef series on WKQL Radio in Ann Arbor. Isabella has been the featured chef at many charitable events, benefits and fund raisers.

Isabella coordinates the menu selections and accompanying wines for all of Paesano’s wine-maker dinners and private Italian food & wine parties. Her recipes are published on the Paesano’s web site and quarterly newsletters. In 2006, Paesano’s and Huron River Press published a collection of Chef Isabella’s seasonal recipes in her first cookbook titled perbaccoisabella! ($35.00). Her “colorful” personality, family history and true passion for food from her homeland are creatively reflected in this colorful collection!